Beth McCoy

Beautifully Trapped: 18 hours of Snow

Winding Roads
Inundated with Snow
Never to be Touched
Terrified of Breaking Down…

Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Winter call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Winter issue.

Artist Statement

I have always had a soft spot for misfits, outcasts, and eccentrics. I like to take things that have been rejected in some way, whether in the last chance clearance bead bin or in a pile of tossed out records at urban ore, and give them a new life and purpose. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to explore many art forms and to also find a way to use the throw away scraps from each form. While foraging through thrift stores and junk yards for treasures, I always feel I have helped give a discarded object a new lease on life, and it makes me feel human. Using old photographs or photos of old things serves a similar purpose. For me, the discarded materials portend the symbolic hope of new possibilities.  

About My Work

I have spent the last 35 years exploring the disparate elements of design through various media and techniques including painting, printmaking, collage, paper, photography, fabric, glass, ceramics, beads, sculpture, wood, food, and anything else that can be used. I got my formal design education at Barnard and Columbia in New York. I am an avid photographer and traveler, so textures, patterns, and images from around the world are often a part of my creative process. I came to art quite naturally as a child and was constantly doing some sort of project in my room or at an art class. I never played with my doll house but rather constantly redesigned the walls and furniture arrangements. I frequently got art supplies as gifts and used them up quickly. My room at home was like an art studio; there was always something in-process in there. I was allowed to spread out and keep projects going for as long as I wanted. I was very lucky in that no one ever told me to clean up or put things away, so I was able to work and rework things until I was done with them, or they were done with me (which is closer to what typically happens). For me, art has often created an escape from the world, but also, as often, a vehicle for exploring feelings about the vast and sorrowful issues that plague the world.